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New Explosion Rocky Kyiv, Russians Inch Closer To Capital; Russia Steps Up Air Attacks As Ground Offensive Stalls; U.S. Warns China Against Aiding Russia In Ukraine War; Kharkiv, Ukraine Reportedly Surrounded By Russians; Mariupol Maternity Hospital Bombing Claims More Victims; Ukrainian Family Finds Safety In Orlando; Russian State TV Employee Disrupts Broadcast: "No War"; IOM: More Than 2.8 Million Refugees Fleeing Ukraine; Biden Pledges America's Support For Ukraine; Russia's Air Attacks Escalates; Russian Ground Attacks Leaves One Killed and Six Wounded; Casualties in Donetsk from Missile Strike; Zelenskyy: Russia Responsible for War Crimes; China Might Send Help to Russia; ukrainetakeshelter.com Website Created to Finding Home Hosts for Refugees; Interview with Cofounder of Ukraine Take Shelter, Avi Schiffman; New Ukrainian Stamp to Honor Snake Island Soldiers. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired March 15, 2022 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:17]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers around the world and in the United States this hour. I'm Hala Gorani live in Lviv, Ukraine.
We are just a few hours away from another round of talks between Russia and Ukraine. But with little to no progress so far, expectations are not high at all. Russia's ground forces in Ukraine have largely stalled according to a senior a U.S. official.
So, Moscow is turning more and more to the skies, stepping up airstrikes, as well as rocket launches. Just a couple of hours ago, in fact, two very loud explosions were heard in Central Kyiv as Russian forces continue to inch closer to the Capitol.
Civilian casualties also on the rise. Ukrainian authorities report one person was killed in a strike on a residential building near Kyiv, and this video shows the moment of impact with a man there reversing course. The city's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, and his brother Wladimir visited the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO, KYIV BRIGADE, UKRAINE DEFENSE FORCE: That's what Russians war against the civilians look like. Destroyed buildings, destroyed infrastructure. City bus just got hit by the rocket, lives are getting lost. That's the war that Russia started.
(END VIDEO CLIP) GORANI: Well, authorities say three people wounded in the attack were taken to the hospital. Emergency crews had to rescue more than a dozen people, and an apparent missile strike hit the city of Donetsk, and the east of the country killing a number of people.
The region is held by Russian backed separatists who blame Ukrainian fighters for the attack. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who remains in the Capital, is now expected to address the U.S. Congress on Wednesday.
In an overnight telegram video, he addressed Russian soldiers directly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): But why should you die? What for? I know that you want to survive. We hear your conversations and intercepts. We hear what you really think about this senseless war, about this disgrace, and about your state. On behalf of the Ukrainian people, I give you a chance, a chance to survive. If you surrender to our forces, we will treat you the way people are supposed to be treated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, more now in the latest developments from CNN's Oren Liebermann.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Russia is broadening its attack, hitting targets both military and civilian. In the capital city of Kyiv flames pour out of the remnants of an apartment building. Firefighters evacuating wounded. Russian forces have not yet encircled the capital city, a Senior U.S. Defense official says. But they are trying
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLEKSIY GONCHARENKO, PARLIAMENT MEMBER, UKRAINE: When Kyiv needs help everything is OK. There are some shortages, but no desperate situation. But in town satellite of Kyiv some of them are occupied by Russian forces and some of them are fighting now. And their situation is absolutely awful. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: Ukraine's resistance has stalled much of the Russian advance on the ground, the defense official says. And the skies over the war torn country remain contested. Instead, the Russians have turned to long range strikes.
Russian bombardment pounding the city of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine where they've advanced the most. To the west, Russian forces hit a military base use for training over the weekend, just 11 miles from the Polish border. The strike killed at least 35 people, the local military says, and wounded more than a 100 others
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JAKE SULLIVAN, ADVISER, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY: What it shows is that Vladimir Putin is frustrated by the fact that his forces are not making the kind of progress that he thought that they would make against major cities including Kyiv, that he is expanding the number of targets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: It is the closest Russian striker to a NATO country, but it will not stop the flow of security assistance to Ukraine. Another $200 million in aid approved over the weekend, even as Russia threatens the shipments.
Nearly three weeks into this invasion, Russia has now turned to China for help asking China for economic and military support according to sources. China denies receiving such request, and Russia denies making one.
But the U.S. has information suggesting Beijing expressed some openness to providing Russia with financial or military assistance. According to a Western official and the U.S. diplomat, though it's not exactly clear what type of aid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SULLIVAN: We have communicated to Beijing that we will not stand by and allow any country to compensate Russia for its losses from the economic sanctions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: White House National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan held what's being described as an intense seven-hour meeting today with a top Chinese diplomat in Rome.
[02:05:18]
LIEBERMANN: As the Biden Administration faces pressure from Volodymyr Zelenskyy to impose even more sanctions on Russia. The Ukrainian president is scheduled to address Congress virtually on Wednesday, which would be on the eve of the start of the wars fourth week as the fighting drags on the UN Secretary General raising a chilling possibility.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIO GUTERRES, SECRETARY GENERAL, UN: The prospect of nuclear conflict once unthinkable is now back within the realm of possibility.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: Oren Liebermann, CNN, Pentagon.
GORANI: Nataliya Gumenyuk is an independent journalist covering the war in Ukraine. And she joins me now from the eastern city of Kharkiv.
Nataliya first of all, thanks very much. Tell us where you are and what you're seeing around you right now in Kharkiv?
NATALIYA GUMENYUK, UKRAINIAN JOURNALIST: So hi. Yes, I'm in fact, in the downtown of Kharkiv, which is the second largest town where over like a few million people live. And this is one of the oldest street where there are fashion brands, restaurants, cafes nearby the, you know, city council and the center square, which has been heavily hit still on first of the march.
But this place really signifies for the local residents, you know, this feeling that they felt punished for not surrendering, because there is no real any reason to target this area. People feel very strong about that, because they are old historic center. You see, like the fashion clothes, this magazine or something like that.
Fortunately, this area is kind of calmer, you know, people are not, you know, some people still live there. The shellings are taking place constantly on the suburbs, residential areas in the city, which are in the direction of north, in the direction of Russia.
But for me personally, like somebody who was here walking, you know, moving, bringing people to, you know, like, just a month ago, I brought-- I was here with some American journalists and like, you know, we've been working and coming here and see that and myself from here, from the Capitol, that's quite painful.
And you really don't understand why it happened. Somewhere, you still have the light in the-- in those buildings, somewhere you still have this feeling like come for the coffee and things like that.
GORANI: And Nataliya, is it OK if you can show us a little bit what's around you? I know you're coming to us via your camera phone.
GUMENYUK: Yes, let me-- yes, yes, yes.
GORANI: But just so we get a sense of what the center there looks like. And just describe what we're seeing.
GUMENYUK: Yes. Let me do this like a tour.
GORANI: Yes.
GUMENYUK: Yes, yes, yes. Look, so that would be the fashion store, another fashion store. I'll do it, you know, slow-- quite slow, so there is no loss of the signal. Probably that would be--
GORANI: Yes.
GUMENYUK-- you know, still the-- oh, I can even show, there are still like the clothing where the shellings was taken place like 10 days ago. But you actually see the women's clothing, you know, like, just really inside. I should also say there is no any littering here, and things like that.
But you can walk like along-- quite a long way. You know, the wall prints (ph) was nearby, it's a bit longer to walk, the Azerbaijan consulate, you know, also destroyed some kind of a beauty boutique. We just walked past some place where there was like, oh, that is a sign of the Business Association.
You know, all these places. Yes, I mean, it's like not always every building is shelled. But of course, the neighborhood is unlivable at the moment of course.
GORANI: Yes, of course.
GUMENYUK: Let me--
GORANI: And how-- you said that-- you were telling us just now that the bulk of the Russian bombardment and targeting is happening in the outskirts, but that this center area currently is obviously relatively speaking calm right now. I just want to make sure that you're feeling safe and--
GUMENYUK: Yes.
GORANI: -- and you're able to still talk to us. Yes?
GUMENYUK: I'm able to still talk. I need to turn-- yes, to turn the camera. So yes, the point-- I think it was quite a symbolic because a lot of people didn't understand why things happen. But the general idea is that because it's, you know, a largely Russian speaking town just on the east.
Maybe Putin underestimated as always the idea that the town just would kind of welcomed them and resistance was very fierce. And the town fully didn't accept, you know, this, and then it was kind of-- because they couldn't overtake it. So they were just terrorizing people.
It's very hard for us to speak about the amount of the people, you know, civilian casualties to be honest, because it's very hard to count.
But something to say that, yes, I've been a day before in the-- another city, the city outskirts where the fighting is taking place.
[02:10:20]
GUMENYUK: It's really huge residential area. Somehow-- and the shelling is constant.
Gorani: Yes.
GUMENYUK: Of course, you won't stay long there. So they have the subway here, which serves as a shelter. But we went there and there are, you know, like, hundreds of people who live there because they feel it's safer. You know, they don't even-- they won't be able to move to another place. They just want to be on the basement.
GORANI: Yes.
GUMENYUK: There were some point 2,000 people living at this subway station, you know, in the carriages just on the floor. And the numbers are quite impressive. It's a really big town.
GORANI: How far are Russian troops to the city center of Kharkiv right now?
GUMENYUK: They are quite far. So the problem is that they can still shell beyond-- from the Russian border. It could be-- that's the other point is like 30 kilometers, or some of the missiles can reach it. But they are also based quite a bit closer to the town. So, they are on the Ukrainian territory as well. It could be in some point like 10 kilometers from the town, not from the city center.
GORANI: Yes. You mentioned that perhaps Vladimir Putin underestimated how much resistance there would be in Kharkiv because potentially, it's so close to the Russian border, and there's a big Russian speaking population.
Can you give us-- give us a sense of the people who've remained in this city? What is their state of mind right now?
GUMENYUK: So I've given the explanation, really a lot of people join territorial defense, a lot of people I know well do that. A lot of people volunteered to help each other to organize it, you know, like the things I'm working on, you know, services are working police, firefighters, ambulances, hospitals, and they are very feel very resilient.
So you know, we fled, we've been to the hospital, and there was a guy who is an architect, he was wounded. And he said, like, I'm here to get better and to rebuild this town, it would be even more beautiful.
But of course, there are also people who are elderly, they feel more devastated, they feel lost. You know, there was a moment, some of the people stayed in their areas, some people stayed in the areas they know they could not-- they didn't know how to get out, there are volunteers helping them.
But what's interesting that even those, you know, a lot of people will be considered like the elderly, feeling nostalgic, didn't feeling bad-- really bad about Russia, they now really like, especially I talked to a lot of those old ladies who you know, still remember Soviet Union. And they are extremely angry, they're frustrated, they say betrayal. We couldn't expect it from Russia.
So getting that, there is just one thing I want to add just because it was a place where probably you journalists been. I recently been-- and I say that it's not just about Kharkiv. I've been also another town in Okhtyrka which is small town. Not many people in Ukraine know it.
But it's important, a railroad junction there's 50,000 people living there, and there was also the town which stopped the Russian advance if they would have overtaken it, they would kind of, it would be the open road to the other bigger towns.
And again, the same tactics where the center is--
GORANI: What's the name of that town?
GUMENYUK: Okhtyrka.
GORANI: What's the name of that town?
GUMENYUK: It's--
GORANI: All right. Yes.
GUMENYUK: It's the town of Okhtyrka in Sumy Region. And what I'd seen was really, you know, way more harder than here because, you know, the train station it's barely exists, they're using air bombs, and there are people who's still there. There were still houses on fire.
And there is really nothing, so, you know, this-- the town is strategic but the objects which are targeted, they clearly civilians, like the shop, the culture house, or just residential areas in the private sector, or you know, and like, with a huge, I'm not a specialist in weapon, but with this huge craters, which I haven't seen elsewhere.
GORANI: OK. Well, thank you so much for your brave on the ground reporting there. You really gave us a-- an invaluable picture of what's happening in the center of Kharkiv. Thank you so much, Nataliya Gumenyuk for joining us live on CNN. And do take care of yourself.
The devastation in Mariupol is clear satellite images show the destruction flames and thick black smoke. Russian bombardments in the coastal city have left people there without electricity, food, waters, and people are having to melt snow to drink water. The UN's Humanitarian Chief is calling for face-to-face meetings between Ukraine and Russia now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN GRIFFITHS, CHIEF HUMANITARIAN, UN: Mariupol is the center of the hell that we see in Ukraine at the moment. And the most important priority for that-- for Mariupol is to get civilians safely out.
[02:15:24]
GRIFFITHS: Something that the International Red Cross has been trying to agree for some days. And we have also been trying to make that happen in our discussions with both parties.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, the bombing of that maternity hospital in Mariupol last Wednesday, really showed and laid bare the cruelty of this war. It was clear on the faces of the women and children who emerged from the blast, and the grim aftermath is still playing out as the heroic efforts to save the patients were unfortunately not all successful.
Phil Black has our report, but we must warn you, it includes disturbing images.
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We don't know what this woman's name, but we can see the desperate effort to rescue her from the devastation of Mariupol's Maternity Hospital. She's hurt. There are terrible injuries down her right side. She appears dazed by the enormous blast that hit her only moments before, but she's conscious and clearly concerned for her baby.
At another medical facility, doctors work to save them as their condition deteriorated.
Surgeon, Timur Marin it says they tried to resuscitate the woman while also performing a cesarean delivery. They couldn't revive her or her child. They both died.
Russian officials claimed the hospital was being used by Ukrainian troops, and all civilians had left before the attack. The evidence shows that's not true. Children, patient, staff all experienced the terrifying blast that created this crater.
We do know this woman's name, Mariana Vishegirskaya hurt and bleeding. She walked through the chaos after the explosion. The next day she gave birth in another hospital. She and her husband have named their daughter Veronica (ph).
The strike on Mariupol's Maternity Hospital has become a defining moment in a war already notorious for its brutality, and great suffering inflicted on the innocent. Phil Black, CNN, London.
GORANI: Well, millions of people have fled Russia's war in Ukraine.
Coming up. The Ukrainian family, this one may be far from home, but they are not alone. Their heart wrenching journey to safety is coming up next.
Plus, a Russian State television broadcast was disrupted by an anti- war protest. What we're learning about the woman who pulled it off, and why she says she did it. Coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:22:03]
GORANI: Welcome back. A pretty stunning act of protest against the war in Ukraine unfolded live on Russian State television Monday. Take a look.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GORANI: With cameras rolling this was live TV, a woman walked onto the set holding a sign that reads quote, "No war, stop the war, do not believe propaganda. They tell you lies here." The broadcasting quickly cut away to video.
CNN has now learned the woman was apparently an employee of the channel. Her lawyer sent us this video which she reportedly taped before her protest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA OVSYANNIKOVA, HELD ANTI-WAR SIGN OF RUSSIA CHANNEL ONE (through translator): This happening now in Ukraine is a crime, and the Russia is the aggressor country. And the responsibility for this aggression lies in the conscious of only one person. This man is Vladimir Putin. My father is Ukrainian. My mother is Russian. And they have never been enemies. And this necklace on my neck is a symbol of the fact that Russia must immediately stop this fratricidal war.
So our fraternal nations will still be able to reconcile. Go to the rallies, and to not be afraid. They cannot arrest us all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, according to Russian state media, the woman is now in police custody and could face prosecution. It comes as Russian police are cracking down on any kind of protest specifically anti-war protests, with one monitoring group saying nearly 15,000 people have been detained since the invasion began.
Now, to the Ukrainian refugee situation, the crisis is growing by the day more than 2.8 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion. More than 1.7 million of these refugees have crossed into neighboring Poland alone.
The UN says the number of Ukrainian residents seeking temporary refuge in Poland is considerably lower, however, because many of the refugees are continuing their journey to other European countries. Take a look at the map. It gives you a sense of where they're going. Many of them are women, children, and the elderly.
And some of them are going to Hungary-- sorry to Romania. And a tweet on Monday, the U.S. President Joe Biden promised once again, America's support for Ukraine. His tweet said, "We will make sure Ukraine has weapons to defend against the invading Russian force. We will send money, and food, and aid to save Ukrainian lives. We will welcome Ukrainian refugees with open arms."
Now, while pressure is mounting for the Biden administration to do more to help these refugees. CNN's, Rosa Flores spoke to one mother and her two sons on their harrowing flight to safety from Kyiv to Orlando, Florida.
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When Yulia Gerbut fled Ukraine's capital Kyiv with her sons, 11-year-old Nikita (ph), and 14-year-old Max (ph), she packed what she could, including this candle.
YULIA GERBUT, UKRAINIAN CITIZEN: You can't imagine how many times they kissed this candle.
FLORES: And she came here to Orlando, Florida to stay with Meegan Youkus, a woman who 20 years ago hosted Yulia during a student exchange program.
MEEGAN YOUKUS, HOSTING UKRAINIAN FAMILY: She really has been like a daughter.
FLORES: A daughter who love life with her boys in her Kyiv home. But in the early morning of February 24th, bombs started going off, and Yulia called her host mom.
GERBUT: While talking to her I saw the explosion from my bedroom window, and that's when I was really scared.
FLORES: Yulia says she had to hang up.
YOUKUS: That's very emotional. I can't fathom what she went through. Somebody I love.
FLORES: Yulia and the boys rushed to the one room in the house with no windows.
GERBUT: They were shocked. Nikita started crying.
FLORES: Hours later, more signs of war.
GERBUT: He saw this helicopter, which was throwing fire rockets from both sides of it.
FLORES: What did you think?
GERBUT: My house will be bombed like, next seconds.
FLORES: What's your biggest fear?
YOUKUS: That they-- she wouldn't make it out.
FLORES: That she would die?
YOUKUS: Possibly.
FLORES: As Yulia drove away with Nikita and Max, she agonized over leaving her third son, Martin (ph) behind
GERBUT: The grave of my son is left there, and obviously I can't take him with me.
FLORES: Martin died of cancer in 2019. He was four years old. And how does a mother fleeing war take her baby's grave with her?
GERBUT: It was, you know, breaking my heart that he is staying in Sumy. And you don't know maybe the bomb will fall down on the cemetery.
[02:27:13]
FLORES: After four days of traffic jams, a stop at a shelter guarded by Ukrainian military and eating an outdoor mass feeding kitchens. They ended up at a refugee camp in Slovakia.
GERBUT: I was absolutely shocked.
FLORES: What shocked you?
GERBUT: Couple hundreds of people in one room. Everybody's speaking, kids are crying.
FLORES: After escaping their new reality at home, they fled to Orlando. And last week, Yulia enrolled her sons in school. The images of war still fresh in their minds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard explosions, and I heard shooting. I was super scared and the first like, two or three hours of driving, I was listening to every sound and begging to not hear those explosions.
FLORES: What is Russia doing to your country?
GERBUT: Genocide. That's what it is. They are just burning our cities and our people, destroying us.
FLORES: Yulia fears for the life of her 72-year-old father who's in Mariupol, a city where civilian buildings including the Maternity Hospital where Yulia was born have come under shelling. Thousands have died.
GERBUT: I haven't heard from my dad for 12 days. I don't know if he's alive.
FLORES: Despite the fog of war. This mother says in a way, she managed to bring little Martin with her.
GERBUT: I can light the candle and, you know, pretend he is with us. So, no matter where we will end up, we will have a candle to light.
FLORES: Rosa Flores, CNN, Orlando, Florida.
GORANI: So much heartbreak. If you'd like to help people in Ukraine who may be in need of shelter, food, and water, go to cnn.com/impact. At last check, CNN viewers helped-- have helped raise nearly $5 million to help in Ukraine and neighboring countries with all those basic and immediate needs.
Now, we're following all the breaking developments here in Ukraine where Russia is stepping up the air attacks. Even as an American official says its ground advances remain largely stalled.
Plus, the U.S. says it will not stand by if China gives assistance to Russia's invasion, but China says it won't be bullied into making a decision. We're live in Beijing with the latest on that angle.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:30:00]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN. More people get their news from CNN than any other news source.
GORANI: Russia is ramping up its military assault on cities across Ukraine even as a senior U.S. defense official says, almost all of Russian advances on the ground remain stalled. And our military experts agree with the assessment. The intensifying attacks are now increasingly coming from the air. In one Kyiv suburb, at least one person was killed and six others wounded, after shelling hit a residential building.
[02:35:00] Just hours ago, two loud explosions were heard in the central part of the capital. In the city of Donetsk, in Eastern Ukraine, multiple casualties have been reported in what appears to be a missile strike. And you see the remnants and the aftermath of that on your screen there. Donetsk is held by Russian-backed separatists. To the South, Russian forces are continuing their efforts to surround Mariupol. But when U.S. officials says, Ukrainians continue to defend the besieged city. That official also says, Russian troops moving on Kyiv did not make significant progress over the weekend. Ukraine's President, who remains in the capital says, Russia will be held accountable for this war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We are working with partners on new restrictions that will be applied against the Russian State. Everyone who is responsible for the war, everyone who is responsible for the destruction of democracy, everyone who is responsible for repression against people, everyone will get an answer. The answer of the world. And this is just the beginning. Responsibility for war crimes of the Russian military is inevitable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: That was Vladimir Zelenskyy now. U.S. officials say, China may be open to sending military and economic assistance to Russia to continue its invasion. The news came as part of a diplomatic cable sent from the U.S. to allies in Europe and Asia on Monday. The same day, the U.S. national security advisor met with his Chinese counterpart in a seven-hour meeting in Rome discussing possible consequences for China's support of Russia. A spokesman for the U.S. State Department made the country's intentions very clear in regards to China.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPT. SPOKESPERSON: We have communicated very clearly to Beijing that we won't stand by, if -- we will not allow any country to compensate Russia for its losses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Now CNN's Steven Jiang joins me from Beijing with more. Steven, do we -- I mean, we know we're hearing it from U.S. officials. But any comment, at all, from China about its willing list -- willingness to assist Russia in this invasion of Ukraine? It can't be something -- this war can't be something that China wants. It is hurting its economic recovery and it is having negative economic impact throughout the world.
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BIEJING BUREAU CHIEF: That's right, Hala. You know, China, of course, has been pushing back very hard with Yang Jiechi, that counterpart of Jake Sullivan, as well as other officials had been saying, all of these reports from Washington now part of the U.S. disinformation effort to "Smear China". Now, they, of course, are being put in a very awkward position in terms of these reports about their willingness to consider this Russian request for help. Because if they do, obviously, this is likely to lead to even more tensions between China and the U.S. and the European Union. But if they don't, then if Putin gets undermined or even replaced, at least in this mindset of the Beijing leadership, that would be an even worse outcome.
So, that's why the real question facing the Chinese leadership seems to be, according to many analysts, whether or not, the U.S. and EU dare to impose the kind of sanctions against Russia on China, which of course has a much bigger and deeper economic relations with the West. Now, as of now, of course, these leaks you just mentioned, they are not coincidental. They are really putting China on the spot. And that is also showing how the U.S. is getting increasingly frustrated and annoyed with China because despite their close ties and huge economic leverage with Moscow and that supposed very close personal relationship between Xi Jinping and Putin. There is little indication China is doing anything to persuade the Russians to stop this increasingly bloody war, which of course, Beijing still refuses to call a Russian invasion.
Now, the only -- the most active part China seems to be doing is parroting a lot of the talking points from the Kremlin and to be part of the propaganda, as some would even say, disinformation campaign initiated by Russia. That's why at this stage, many experts say, there is little indication that China seems to be serious about being a peacemaker or being impartial despite their public claims. Hala?
GORANI: All right. Steven Jiang, thanks so much. I'll have more from Ukraine at the top of the hour. But first, let's bring in Rosemary Church in Atlanta. Rosemary?
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL NEWS ANCHOR: Thanks so much, Hala. We'll see very soon.
A website built by two Harvard students who's trying to match refugees with homes to stay in. I will speak to one of the sites cofounders just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:40:00]
Welcome back, everyone. Well, UK residents and organizations have signed up to host Ukrainian refugees. About 25,000 potential hosts have registered under a plan set up by the British government. Now, under that plan, the host will get almost $500 per month. British housing secretary, Michael Gove says, refugees will have access to benefits, health care, and employment.
And two Harvard University students are doing their part to help Ukrainian refugees find homes around the world. They have launched this website, UkraineTakeShelter.com. It's designed to help refugees find hosts with spare rooms, condos, and dormitories, even a couch if it's spare. The site has been translated into 12 languages.
[02:45:00] So far, more than 4,000 potential hosts around the world, including here in the United States, have registered on that site.
And joining me now is the cofounder of the website, Avi Schiffman. He joins me from Seattle, Washington. Avi, welcome. And pleasure to have you with us.
AVI SCHIFFMAN, COFOUNDER, UKRAINE TAKE SHELTER: Appreciate it. Thank you so much for having me.
CHURCH: So, a 19-year-old Harvard University student. You set up this website to match refugees fleeing Russia's war in Ukraine with hosts offering shelter. But, with nearly three million Ukrainians displaced so far, the demand is overwhelming. How many have you been able to help so far? And how many more do you expect to help going forward?
SCHIFFMAN: Sure. So, we have over 10,000 available listings now all around the world. Everywhere from Poland, Germany, to even Israel and Australia. It's been really incredible to see the response, so far, from refugees that have been able to find safe sanctuaries through the website, too. We're now partnering with a lot of major aid groups all over Europe and the entire world, really. And so, we hope to have a few hundred thousand matches, probably by this time next week.
CHURCH: Wow. That is incredible. So, how does this work, exactly? How easy is it to -- for refugees to access your website and eventually match with a host?
SCHIFFMAN: Sure. We designed it to be as intuitive is possible. So, right now, all the refugee would need to do is they go to ukrainetakeshelter.com and immediately they're presented with just a search bar where they can enter in their current city or where they're headed. And immediately they see the most -- nearest listings to where their city is. So, then they can then answer in filters, like, whether they need childcare support, legal assistance, disability assistance, all those kinds of stuff. And just filter the listings as they see. They can click on the listing and see information, like a detail, contact information, all those kinds of stuff. And just immediately get in contact with host.
And as a host, as well, you just go to the website and just click become a host and instantly start working on your listing. You can add an adult description, contact information, all that kind of stuff and just click create and it's off to the world.
CHURCH: Oh, that's good. Because no doubt, a lot of our viewers watching would be interested in being part of this. And I did want to ask you to share with us, if you would, some of the stories that standout to of refugees who have match with host on your website.
SCHIFFMAN: Sure. Like, one story that was interesting, so last night, I got this e-mail from a host in the Netherlands that was asking for help to mark his listing as filled because so many refugees were contacting him through our website but he is already hosting a Ukrainian family that he met through our website which has been great. Another example, last night, there were dozens of listings in Hungary. I went to sleep, woke up, and are now they're all marked is filled. But now, by this time tonight, there's already a few dozen more.
So, I'm hoping that by the time they wake up, they'll also be marked is filled. We have so many stories from people from every country, Romania, Germany, Poland, et cetera. So many people are using this. We have over 10,000 available listings, those are the ones that are available. Ones that have been marked as filled, we've got thousands and thousands. It's incredible.
CHURCH: And how did you, initially, get people interested in hosting on your site?
SCHIFFMAN: We started doing a lot of media around the U.S. But I've been spending a lot of time spreading the word in, like, Facebook groups and WhatsApp and telegram groups. And just really, like, going directly to individual Ukrainians and people in Poland and telling them, like, hey, this is the website I made. And every single person I've talked to has been, like, wow, this is amazing. I'll spread it around on my, like, Facebook groups. And you just talk to one person, you get connected to another person, get connected to another person. It's been a lot of, like, guerrilla marketing, in that way. But now we're working with much bigger aid groups to get this everywhere, but it's been hard to get in contact with them. Everyone's so overwhelmed with messages, including me by now, so.
CHURCH: Yes. Absolutely.
SCHIFFMAN: It's been hard though.
CHURCH: And of course, you did use Airbnb as an inspiration here, didn't you, to sort of strip it down? But talk to us about how your website is different to some of the others out there that are doing similar work, trying to match refugees with homes. And what would you say to viewers, if they are sitting out there, and they want to help but they might be a little reluctant, perhaps, at this point?
SCHIFFMAN: Sure. So, there's a lot of websites that are trying to do what we do. And I don't see them as competitors. Anyone that's making a website like this is trying to help. We all have the same goal. But I think that our website is truly built to be as safe and secure as possible. We worked very closely with cybersecurity experts to make sure there are no vulnerabilities. I, personally, have experienced creating one of the first and largest coronavirus tracking websites that was used by hundreds and millions of people. So, I know what it takes to scale a website to millions and millions.
We've really developed this to be as safe as possible as well. The refugee and a host never have to give up their exact location. They just enter in their current city, which is a pretty broad statement. You never -- we're not storing anything in our database, that would be dangerous to accept. And the whole point is the website is just to be, like, a public bulletin to connect refugees to hosts. We don't store any of, like, messages or anything like that.
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So, the website is extremely safe. We have the ability for refugees to report listings which will, essentially, mark them as, like, their shadow band base. They're hidden from the world. But it will also show to other refugees that this listing has been reported this many times. We also have a little explanation of how to contact the host safely. We've got a bunch of mechanisms in place to make sure this is as safe as possible. So, yes.
CHURCH: Avi Schiffman, you renewed faith in humanity. Honestly. What an inspiration. Thank you so much for talking with us and for setting up a website like this. It is incredible. Thank you.
SCHIFFMAN: Thank you.
CHURCH: And till to come, the postage stamp that makes a powerful and obscene statement all in the name of honoring some incredibly brave Ukrainian soldiers. We're back in just a moment.
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JOAN CONN, EXEC. DIR., RESTAVEK FREEDOM FOUNDATION: Being a restavek robs these children to tap to their soul. They never feel like they are valued. I remember one of the girls said to me, it's as if I'm living, but I don't exist.
My name is Joan Conn and I am the Executive Director for Restavek Freedom Foundation based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Restavek Freedom Foundation works with children who are living as restavek. It's a form of child slavery. Many of them work from sun up to sun down. They do most chores for the family. When CNN came to Haiti for the Freedom Project with common dreams, we found this child in an area that we worked. Her name is Vetna (ph). And she lived with her grandfather at the time. And we went to visit the grandfather and asked if he would allow her to go to school. And he agreed to do that.
And so, we actually took her and enrolled her in school for the first time. She was nine years old. Now, Vetna is 20. And so, she's in the tenth grade. They get a really late start on life. But, at least, they are able to be part of society. And I think, just seeing these children become visible to people is a powerful thing.
OISTEIN JENSEN, CHIEF SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER, ODFJELL SE: My name is Oistein Jensen, I'm the Chief Sustainability Officer at Odfjell SE. It is important that shipping becomes sustainable and it's important that shipping moves towards zero. Because we are a part of the global value chain. We represent 2.8 percent of the total emissions. And that emissions will still grow as the shipping industry will grow because the global demand for transportation is growing. And so, the only solution is to actually go zero.
Being at an event like this, I believe that is important because it gives you the wider understanding of the challenge. It gives us insight to areas that we haven't thought about. Because this challenge is nothing one company can solve by themselves, so that's why they need to collaborate. We need to collaborate across the industry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Korean automaker, Hyundai Motor Company says, the future of transport may go beyond traditional passenger vehicles. And that robots may change the way that we move.
DONG JIN HYUN, VP & HEAD OF ROBOTICS LAB, HYUNDAI MOROT COMPANY: As an automotive company, we are thinking about the future vehicle. We can make some strong synergy between automotive engineering and lower risk technology.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In 2021, Hyundai acquired Massachusetts base robotics company, Boston Dynamics for $1.1 billion. The company showed off its robots at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
MARC RAIBERT, FOUNDER, BOSTON DYNAMICS: People are incredibly able to move, to maneuver, to grasp things, to perceive their environment.
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And Robots aren't really in that realm yet. But our long-term goal is to be able do all of that stuff.
CHURCH: Welcome back. A group of Ukrainian soldiers, whose defiance in the early days of the Russian invasion, gained worldwide attention will now be honored with a new stamp. The Ukrainian Postal Service said, that the winning sketch in their competition shows a soldier standing on Snake Island while making an obscene gesture to an approaching Russian warship. 13 soldiers grabbed headlines after an audio emerged of them telling the warship in no uncertain terms what they thought of them. The Ukrainian Navy believes they were alive but forced to surrender. We'll, now, we are getting a new satellite image of the island in the middle of the black sea. It appears to show some buildings damaged by Russian military strikes and a Russian naval ship offshore.
Well, thank you so much for being with us this hour. I am Rosemary Church. Our breaking news coverage continues after the break.
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